Fire & Desire (Hero Series) (13 page)

“Soon.”

“You claim you want us to have a normal relationship, but every
time we’re together, it starts with you arriving out of the blue and ending
with me watching you walk away.”

A sexy smile crossed his lips. “How about dinner tomorrow night at
seven?”

“You’re on.” She returned his smile.

Twelve

“Wow, Tiff, I just came from the conference room. The Gala set-up
looks great, and you even tagged in the seating arrangement. What got you
pumped up while I’ve been gone?”

Josephine began as she walked into Tiffany’s office.

Tiffany hoped the heat rising to her face wasn’t evident to her
friend. “I just got a burst of energy and couldn’t stop.”

“Well, that’s great because that shaved an hour off our time
tonight. We’ll give the names one final look and make sure there aren’t any ‘do
not place in close proximity together’ people at the same table.”

Silently, Tiffany grabbed the file off her desk and followed her
friend to the conference room, where she had only left moments before Josephine
showed up. She hadn’t lied to her friend. She’d felt a burst of energy after
Trevor left…guilt was always a great incentive. She threw herself full steam
into the project in an attempt to compensate for the time used while she’d made
hot, passionate love with Trevor instead of finalizing the gala plans.

Now, standing next to her business partner, they worked through
the list of guests and seating arrangements. She couldn’t help but feel buried
under the lie of omission she had withheld from not only her best friend, but
also her father.

“Perfect as always, Tiff, all I’s and T’s appear to be dotted and
crossed.”

“Thanks,” Tiffany said, distracted by the weight of what she
needed to do. She took a deep breath. “Jo, we need to talk.”

“About Las Vegas?”

Tiffany wasn’t shocked Josephine was right on target about what
was on her mind. Her friend had a memory like an elephant and was very
intuitive. “And more. It would probably be best if we went to your office
because you’re going to need to sit down…so am I.”

When they were seated at Josephine’s desk, Tiffany began, “Jo, I
know you know I’ve been keeping something from you since we went to Vegas for
the weekend? Also, knowing me as well as you do, you know nothing short of
cowardliness has kept me from talking to you about it.”

“I’m assuming this has to do with why you didn’t get back to the
townhouse until the following morning?”

“That’s right. I could go the long way around this in
explanations, but I won’t. The fact is, I got married that night.”

There was no mistaking the look of shock on her friend’s face, but
the look of hurt tore at Tiffany’s heart.

“You’ve been married for almost three months and you never felt
like you could tell me?”

“Honestly, Jo, I didn’t want to tell anyone because I prayed I
would be able to get a quiet divorce and no one would know. Besides, how do you
tell someone that you got drunk and did the most cliché thing by getting
married in Las Vegas?”

“Just like that,” Josephine snapped.

Tiffany smiled at her friend’s simple reaction. However, her
father would see things differently.

Tiffany walked over to Josephine’s office window, pausing for a
moment to watch the night activities on the street.

“I’m the governor’s daughter, Jo. Up until this point, I’ve tried
to live my life above reproach.” Tiffany sounded distant as her thoughts
drifted to past memories. “I remember one day when we were in high school, I
was in the kitchen reading a tabloid that someone had left on the counter.
There was an article in it about some senator’s daughter getting arrested for
indecent exposure at some club, and it made references to some past
indiscretions she had committed. I remember Wallace walking into the kitchen,
seeing the article and saying how everything that I did would impact my
father’s career.” She faced Josephine. “I got the message.”

“Tiff, as long as I’ve known you, I’ve watched you restrict
yourself to some invisible boundaries that stop you from existing. A lot of the
boundaries that constrict your life have been erected by you and you alone.”

“I wish you were right, Jo. But regardless of how they got
there…they are there, and I have to deal with them.”

“Or get rid of them. Maybe it’s time you knock some of them down
and live.”

“Look at me, Jo, I’ve lived.” Tiffany held out her arms in a
gesture to remind Josephine where they were standing.

“Tiff, we opened this company two years ago, and up until these
last few months, you’ve only spent one to two days a week here. You’ve lived
alright, but when it’s in someone else’s shadow, it doesn’t count.”

Tiffany was silent for a moment as she turned back toward the
night scenery. “Funny, you and Trevor could be clones. He tells me the same
thing.”

Josephine’s eyes lit up with shock. “Trevor…wasn’t that the guy
you were dancing with?”

Tiffany nodded.

“Well, maybe you should start listening to one of us.”

“I want to, but I love my father.”

Tiffany felt the presence of her friend beside her.

“I know you do, but don’t you think it’s about time you love
yourself a little, too?”

Tiffany dropped her chin to her chest. The urge to cry was so
strong, she pinched her eyes tight to hold back the flow. She feared that, if
she gave in to them, she wouldn’t be able to stop.

“Tiffany, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to have a life. Get
married, have a family maybe. Your father had one…don’t you think you deserve
the same thing?”

Tiffany swung around toward her friend. “He’s a stripper, Jo, a
male dancer. I paid for his services through an escort or entertainment
service…whatever they call them now.” Her shoulders shrugged in a hopeless
gesture, the dam broke and she began to cry.

“Oh, Tiff.” Josephine exhaled loudly as she embraced Tiffany. “I
wish I could tell you how to get around it. But even I know if that got out,
the press would have a field day.”

“So what am I supposed to do? Ruin my father’s career?” Tiffany
prayed she didn’t sound as pitiful as she felt.

“If this was just a fling, I would say have your fun and walk away
soon. But if you love him…” she trailed off.

Tiffany looked at Josephine. “I love him, Jo. Lord, knows I didn’t
want to…but I do.

Who couldn’t love a man who wants nothing more from you than to
see you live your own life?

To top it off, he’s smart. Especially when it comes to computers.
That project on the table would have been horrendous if he hadn’t helped me
retrieve the data.”

“Then it’ll work out, someway.”

“You’re a true romantic, Jo.” Tiffany leaned her head against
Josephine’s shoulder, and her friend’s auburn twists brushed her forehead.

 “I know, but at times like this, I wish I were a magician.”

Laughing, Tiffany said, “If you were, what would you do?”

“Make all of the reporters disappear, of course.”

They embraced each other, laughing.

“So what are you going to do?” Josephine asked after they broke
apart.

“I’m having dinner with Trevor tomorrow night; he’ll be surprised
when I tell him I’m ready to go public.”

“So are you going to wait until after you talk with Trevor?”

“It probably would be best, but I’ve waited long enough to
confess. I’ll stop by Dad’s office tomorrow, maybe I can catch him before
lunch. Now that I’ve made up my mind to tell him, I don’t think I would be able
to keep silent while being around him. I’ll tell Dad after the event. So don’t
expect me anytime soon after lunch.” Tiffany sighed. Her father wouldn’t take the
news very well. She hated hurting him, but there wasn’t anything she could
change about the circumstances of how she’d gotten married. If there were, she
surely would have figured it out by now.

“At least give Trevor a heads up.”

Tiffany nodded her head in agreement. “Maybe I’ll call him before
I go see my father.”

~ML~

“Wayne,” Trevor spoke into the phone as he rotated the kinks out
of his neck. He had been sitting at computer terminals for the last two hours,
and his muscles were screaming.

To him, all of the aches and pains just added to the thrill of the
job. He was a computer geek and proud of it.

“This is Wallace, I’m calling on behalf of the governor.” Bold and
direct, the governor’s right hand man spoke into the phone.

Trevor’s heart instantly began to race, and his ears perked up
like a dog that’d just heard the jingle of car keys. For a moment, he
considered the possibility that Governor Selina might have discovered the full
extent of his involvement with Tiffany. But he put that aside, knowing more
than likely, if the governor found out about that, he would have showed up
personally at his office to confront him.

“Hello, Wallace.” Trevor prayed he didn’t reveal any hint of his
internal turmoil.

“The governor would like to meet with you. A messenger will be by
your office tonight with the details.”

Trevor was amazed how Wallace managed to take all of the
inflections out of his voice, making it sound direct and matter-of-fact. No
doubt, Wallace wouldn’t be entertaining questions.

“I’ll be waiting.”

Trevor heard the sound of the dial tone.

Sitting the phone back in its cradle, he went into his office to
complete his work and wait for the messenger.

~ML~

When Tiffany arrived home that night, she picked up her phone to
listen to her messages.

There were three new messages. The first one she listened to
half-heartedly, not caring about some new phone plan or purchasing magazines
for a year, so that a small percentage of the profits could supposedly aid some
fund.

The second call was from her friend Veronica who wanted to have
lunch with her next week to plan a surprise birthday party for Karen.

Tiffany smiled. Her friends never ceased to amaze her. Veronica
and Karen were like oil and water, on any and every issue, but they would still
do anything for each other.

Tiffany reached over to her appointment book and jotted down a
note to remind herself to call Veronica and confirm the lunch.

“Tiffany, sweetie.”

Her pen stopped mid-stride as she heard the sound of Trevor’s
voice come through the mini speaker, deep and slow.

“I was calling to hear your voice, but you must still be hard at
work. I hope I didn’t throw off your time too bad.”

Heat rose in her cheeks with the memory of just how she had become
thrown off.

“Well, I have to work tonight and won’t be near a phone for a few
hours.”

Tiffany briefly wondered what Trevor’s night work consisted of, if
he was doing a private show for another group of groping, screaming women. She
pushed that thought away, knowing if she were going to have a relationship with
him, she would have to be able to deal with his current occupation.

Tiffany knew on a temporary basis she might be able to handle it,
but long term was out of the question. Tomorrow, she would ask her father about
arranging a position for Trevor with some of his associates.

Trevor’s sexy tone interrupted her thoughts once again. “I can’t
wait to see you tomorrow night for dinner. There should be some exciting news
I’ll be sharing with you.”

Her mind speculated on what that news could be, but quickly she
put it out of her mind.

She was exhausted, not only from the vigorous time spent with
Trevor, but also the emotional conversation with Josephine. She knew that the
meeting with her father would be difficult. She would need to have all of her
strength and wits about her.

Thirteen

“Good morning, this is WNIS, and we have smooth jazz to get your
day started…”

Tiffany stretched to the sound of the disc jockey’s greeting and
slowly pulled herself out of bed. Today was D-day to her. The day she would
talk to her father and reveal her relationship with Trevor.

She looked at the twisted and mangled covers on her bed. She had
lost count of how many times she’d awakened during the night. Her mind refused
to shut itself off. Plagued with thoughts of her pending meeting, she’d finally
exhausted herself into some disturbed sleep.

Walking into the bathroom, she turned the shower on full blast.
She left and headed toward her closet. Opening the doors, she walked in and
scanned her wardrobe.

She needed something that would assure her father she knew what
she was doing.

Something that said
confident
and not, “Daddy, I’m scared
and nervous about what I feel for this man.”

Tiffany pulled out two of her “power suits,” charcoal and burnt
orange. Alternating them both against her chest in front of the mirror, she
rejected and tossed them onto the bed. Neither of them would do. If she wore
them, she would look like she was going for an interview with her own father.
Re-entering the closet, she grabbed her periwinkle colored jacket and georgette
dress, then faced her reflection again.

She smiled. The dress made her look sweet, like Daddy’s grown up
little girl. She counted on that impression. It wasn’t so much that her father
treated her as if she were a little girl. She’d never fallen for a guy the way
she had for Trevor, and she was scared. Everything in her wanted to crawl into
her father’s lap like when she was a child so he could promise everything would
be okay. That she was making the right choice.

Refocusing, she said, “Definitely a keeper.” Tiffany grabbed her
matching sling-back sandals from the shoe rack and placed them on the carpet.

Thick gray mist swirled around the bathroom, coating the glass
door of the shower and light fixtures with warm dew. Tiffany could feel her
face moisten from the steam as she entered.

Drawing the nightgown over her head, she dropped it into the
hamper. Stepping in, she took a deep breath, allowing the heat to surround her
and bolster her nerves for her coming meeting.

Even while she stood in the relaxing atmosphere, it did nothing to
calm the summersaults her stomach was doing.
Breakfast is definitely out.
The
butterflies fluttering around inside of her were confirmation of the decision.

This was the first time she’d ever kept a secret of this magnitude
from him. She knew her father would be disappointed. All of her life she had
done everything within her power not to give him those feelings.

However, she was an adult now and able to stand up for herself.

~ML~

“Trevor, I must say, I’ve been thoroughly impressed with your
company in many ways.”

Tim Patterson, the CEO of Heritage’s voice came through the
speakerphone on the governor’s desk.

The letter that had arrived by messenger informed him of the time
he was to be at the governor’s office. It also let him know he would be having
a phone conference with Tim Patterson.

Governor Selina sat silently behind his desk assessing Computer
Bytes’ proposal.

Trevor assumed it was most likely the hundredth time in the last
seven months the governor had reviewed it.

“Thank you, Mr. Patterson.” Trevor felt like he was sitting on
pins. He could feel a bead of sweat slide down his spine. If he ever made it
through this meeting, he would be peeling off suit jacket and tie as soon as he
left the building.

He tried not to get his hopes up, but he couldn’t deny the
optimistic feelings.

When he glanced away from the speaker toward Governor Selina,
Trevor saw the governor’s slight smile.

The gesture set Trevor at ease…a little.

“Well, Trevor, I really could prolong this…” Patterson trailed off
for a moment, and the room fell silent with the exception of the mild humming
of the speaker.

In that one moment, Trevor tried to recall everything he ever
heard about stress management techniques and attempted to draw several calming
breaths into his diaphragm past his constricted chest.

“But you’re a very smart man, and I’m sure you have already
figured out why we’ve brought you here.” Patterson sounded as if he were
holding back a chuckle.

Just give it to me straight.
Trevor couldn’t take much more of the
suspense. He wanted to know whether he’d gotten the contract or not. So much
rode on this meeting.

“Doug, you want to give this young man the news?” Patterson asked
the governor.

A full smile slowly spread across Governor Selina’s face. “Trevor,
congratulations, it’s my pleasure to inform you that Computer Bytes has been
awarded the Heritage contract.”

Trevor’s mouth went dry and his heart skipped a beat. He was in
shock. Even though he had been anticipating it, it felt damn good to hear it.
Confirmation was better than an assumption any day.

“Congratulations, Trevor,” Patterson said. “That’s a fine company
you’re running, and you should be proud of yourself. You had some stiff
competition, but everyone on the board agreed CB would be a great asset to
Heritage’s future endeavors. I’ll see you next week at my office.”

“Yes, sir.” Trevor wanted to stand up in the chair and yell, “I
did it” at the top of his lungs.

“I’ll see you at dinner tomorrow night, Tim.” The chair tilted and
squeaked as the governor leaned back in it.

“See you then, Doug.” Patterson said moments before the dial tone
sounded.

“You may celebrate now, Trevor.” The governor gave him a knowing
smile.

That was all Trevor needed to hear before he stood to his feet,
threw his fists up in the air and shouted, “Hallelujah!” He took a moment to
thank God because it finally seemed like everything in his life was coming
together.

“Governor, I don’t know how to thank you for this. I know my
company was probably one of the smaller ones bidding for this, but I appreciate
Heritage’s faith and the opportunity.”

Trevor stretched his right hand across the desk toward the
governor.

“You’re more than welcome. We’ve always tried to give the little
guys a leg up when we can.” Standing, the governor took a firm hold of Trevor’s
extended hand and shook it.

“I’ve seen that in the years you’ve represented this state.”

“Tomorrow, you’ll receive the contract from Tim; have your lawyer
look at it. The next time you meet with Tim, you all can hammer out the
issues.”

 “Yes, sir.” Releasing the governor’s hand, Trevor was amazed he
could talk through the broad smile frozen on his face.

“You and Tim should get along great. Make no mistake, he’s a tough
cookie, but he always tries to nurture all the companies involved. Who knows,
maybe you and I will get a chance to work together someday.”

“I’d welcome the opportunity, Governor Selina.” Trevor knew it
wasn’t unheard of for a politician to give advice on an unofficial basis.

The governor came around the desk. “I’m anxious to watch how this
relationship develops.”

~ML~

Tiffany stepped off the elevator and headed down the hall. Helen,
her father’s secretary, wasn’t at her desk. Glancing at the appointment book on
the desk, she read teleconference with Patterson at ten. After that, lunch was
circled.

Tiffany knew Tim Patterson. He used to be the vice president at
Heritage, her father’s engineering company. He then took the CEO position after
her father stepped down and into the office of governor. He was a longtime
family friend and pseudo uncle to her.

Tiffany glanced at her watch. “Eleven twenty. He should be done by
now. If not, it will give me a chance to say hi to Tim.”

Tiffany stepped away from the desk, and then lightly tapped on the
door before entering.

She came to a dead stop.

The two most important men in her life were beside each other
shaking hands. Tiffany caught her father’s last words, “…how this relationship
will develop.”

“What’s going on here?” Tiffany squawked. Her throat tightened,
causing her to swallow several times to relieve the pressure.

“Sweetheart, come in.” Her father walked toward her, arms open as
wide as his smile.

Tiffany’s feet were cemented to the ground. If her father’s arm
wasn’t around her shoulder propelling her forward, she didn’t think she would
have been able to move on her own.

“Tiffany, your timing is perfect…congratulations are in order.”
Her father went on.

Congratulations,
Tiffany thought.
Please tell me you didn’t tell my father,
she
wanted to scream at Trevor.

She didn’t want to look at Trevor. She didn’t want to see the face
of the man she loved, who had betrayed her, but her father stopped, and she was
directly in front of him.

“Hello,
Miss
Selina.”

The inflection Trevor placed on her title made her finally look at
him. Eyes large and round, she tried to question him about his purpose for
being in her father’s office.

“Mr. Wayne, I assume the governor meant for me to congratulate
you. What for?” Tiffany tensed. She prayed her father couldn’t feel it in her
shoulders where his hand was resting.

“Tiffany,” her father began, “you recall several months ago I
helped Patterson begin the search for a computer company to work on the new
contracts we have coming into the firm? Not to mention the plans for Heritage
itself.”

Heritage…computers…contracts….months.
Tiffany felt sick. Her
head began to spin and her heart rate picked up its pace. It was one thing to
decide to love a man whose occupation may jeopardize her father’s, but to know
that man had misled her was another. Or had she mislead herself? That was a
question she didn’t want to ponder now.

Looking back and forth between the two smiling men, the truth
dawned on her simultaneously as her father spoke. The words amplified in her
ears. “Mr. Wayne’s company, Computer Bytes, has won the contract.”

Trevor wasn’t who he seemed. Not who he pretended to be.
Worse,
he wasn’t what she imagined him to be…or was he still hiding secrets?

Trapped inside of a tunnel and needing to get out, Tiffany took a
sustaining breath. She pulled every ounce of fortitude she could muster and
pasted a mannequin smile on her face.

“Congratulations, Mr. Wayne, I’m sure this has been what you’ve
always wanted. Isn’t it great when everything you’ve worked so hard toward for
months turns out just how you planned?”

“Tiffany, I—”

She turned toward her father, not wanting to hear anything that
might have come out of Trevor’s mouth.
Anything
would have made this
situation worse. “Well, Dad, I can see you’re busy, and I have to run.” Tiffany
spoke fast, not wanting to stay in the room a moment longer.

“You don’t have to run off, sweetheart. Was there a reason you
stopped by?”

Tiffany cut a quick look at Trevor. The fake smile she held in
place slipped at the corners. “No, Daddy, it was nothing important. Nothing
important all.”

Turning back to her father, she kissed him on the cheek, and then
left the office.

~ML~

Trevor felt like a first rate jerk. The hurt look in Tiffany’s
eyes when she discovered who he really was would be etched in his brain for a
long time.

He was thankful. As far as he could tell, the governor hadn’t
picked up on anything.

Moments after Tiffany left, his meeting ended. He rode the
elevator to the main lobby.

I should have told her,
he said to himself as he left the building.

When he reached his car, he pulled his cell phone out and called
Tiffany’s phone.

Just as he’d figured, she’d turned it off. He switched the number
to her office.

“Hello, Occasionally Yours, this is Jaunice speaking,” came a
bubbly greeting.

“May I please speak with Ms. Selina?”

If she refused to speak to him, he would at least know she was at
work. He could drive over there and try to convince her to talk to him. People
were less likely to make a scene in a place of business.

“No, I’m sorry, sir. She will not be in today, but you can speak
with Ms. Dailey.”

“Thanks, I’ll just try another time.” Trevor disconnected the
call.

He knew Josephine Dailey was Tiffany’s best friend, but he didn’t
know if Tiffany had told her friend about their relationship. Josephine would
be a possible consideration if he couldn’t get in touch with Tiffany on his
own.

He speed dialed Tiffany’s house.

“Hello, you’ve reached the Selina residence. We are unable to come
to the phone at this time. If you would leave your name and number, we’d be
happy to return your call,” Tiffany’s recorded message came through the phone.
Beeeeep.